Manchester United's Gary Neville reveals his favourite time of the season starts now

Although Manchester United would not have chosen to head into Saturday's crucial showdown with title rivals Chelsea without Wayne Rooney, Sir Alex Ferguson's men are hardly likely to abandon all hope of securing at least a draw that will keep them ahead of the pack with five games remaining.

Even at 35, the thrill of a title race never fails to excite Neville. And the in-form full-back knows every game is vital from now on.

Hands up if you're excited: Gary Neville embodies the spirit of Manchester United, especially when the title race hots up

'This is the best part of the season,' he said. 'This is the moment where you get to the crucial matches and every one is important.

'You can't afford to lose at this stage of the season because it can have a massive impact on where the trophies go.'

A combination of Chelsea's failure to win at Blackburn a fortnight ago, and Arsenal's inability to retain their lead at Birmingham last weekend, has provided United with some breathing space.

It is not much though. And if they are incapable of making light of Rooney's absence by avoiding defeat to Carlo Ancelotti's men, the advantage will swing back Chelsea's way.

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The question United fans will want to know is exactly what a 'minor ankle ligament injury' means in terms of time on the sidelines for their best player, and someone who has contributed 34 goals to their surge for glory.

A timeframe of between two and four weeks has been speculated.

The former would have Rooney available for a Champions League semi-final against either Lyon or Bordeaux, should United get that far, and the Manchester derby at Eastlands on April 17.

The latter would keep Rooney out until the penultimate-day trip to Sunderland on May 1.

But the word 'minor' raises the potential for an even swifter comeback and there is little doubt Ferguson would have Rooney on the bench for next week's decider with Bayern if there was any chance of him making a meaningful contribution.

Even talking in these terms will be a relief for Fabio Capello, who must have feared the worst when he saw Rooney lying on the pitch in obvious pain as Ivica Olic gave Bayern their win on Tuesday night.

It now seems Rooney's participation, not just in the World Cup, but also the build-up, is not being threatened, which Capello will be delighted about, even if Ferguson's priority is far more immediate.

With Rooney sidelined, the most obvious solution for will be for Ferguson to place his trust in Dimitar Berbatov, given Michael Owen and Danny Welbeck are already out for the season.

Indeed, Ferguson will probably be wrapping Berbatov up in cotton wool as his only other available strikers are youngsters Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf.